


Lightning

by tatooedlaura



Series: Life [16]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 08:39:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8660203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatooedlaura/pseuds/tatooedlaura
Summary: I don’t mind if you aren’t one thing or another … as long as you are the same thing together.





	

Mulder slid somewhat gracefully into the hammock beside her. It was much easier to maneuver sober than it was while they were drunk and giggling but still not the easiest thing in the world. Luckily, Scully somehow must have felt him get in with her, shifting to accommodate him, snaking over his chest, settling on his thigh, head nestling against his shoulder in the exact way his daydreams and fantasies had always played out.

Pretty sure he was probably dreaming himself at this point, he decided not to waste one second of cuddly Scully. After wiggling a few parts until he was comfortable, his head came to rest against her temple, allowing for several lingering kisses and even more deep, relaxing breaths of his Scully’s strawberry shampoo and that unique thing that was totally her, that intoxicating scent he’d aptly named ‘aromatic perfection’.

At first, he could hear the ladies laughing in the house ever so often but that faded into the background, given, if he listened closely enough, he could hear Scully’s breathing, the rhythmic movement of her chest against his allowed him a glimpse of what heaven must be like. He could almost hear Scully contradicting him that he didn’t believe in heaven but at this point, as in certain others in his life, he figured there had to be some kind of being out there who was satisfied enough with him that he decided to give Mulder Scully to worship, if even from afar and in silence.

But for now, he had her so close it made him dizzy, intoxicated by woman as opposed to alcohol and he wasn’t about to waste a moment of it.

Zoning out but still very aware of Scully against him, he didn’t realize Maggie had come onto the porch until he felt a thick comforter being draped over them, the blanket so large the edges hung brushing the wood planks below. Raising his head slightly, he was met with what had to be the largest Maggie smile he’d ever seen and as she ran her hand through his hair as only a mother knows how, she told him in a low voice, “the gals have left and I’m about to head upstairs. Do you need anything before I go?”

“Will you leave the backdoor unlocked?”

“Of course.”

Giving Maggie a smile, she began walking away but Mulder called her back in a whisper, “do you mind?”

She came back over to stand beside them, “mind what?”

“That Scully and I aren’t one thing or another?”

“You are Dana and Fox and if the girls tonight have anything to say about it, you’ll eventually be Dana’n’Fox but that’s your timetable and yours alone. I know you love her and she loves you so to answer your question, I don’t mind if you aren’t one thing or another … as long as you are the same thing together.”

Giving her a grin that peaked over the top of Scully’s head, “G’night, Maggie.”

“Good night, Fox.”

The blanket, warm and heavy, coupled with the furnace tucked into his side, soon made him toasty and bordering on sleepy but instead of shutting his eyes, he began a slow running of his hand over her lower back, working her shirt hem up until he made contact with bare skin. The moment he touched her, his eyes shut, blocking out sight to focus solely on the smoothness beneath the pads of his fingers, the downy softness of the fine blonde hair, the gentle slope towards her spine, and to his surprise, the barely defined, slightly raised edge of her tattoo.  
He had no idea he’d be able to feel it but feel it he could, tracing the circle once, then again, entranced by the scar he had never seen except in the briefest of glimpses when he shouldn’t have been looking in the first place. Circumnavigating it until it was the only thing in his universe, his finger slowed to a stop as his breathing matching hers and he drifted off.

&&&&&&&&&

The rumble of thunder woke Mulder first and looking up at the sky through squinting eyes, he saw another flash of lightning, followed 10 counts later by more thunder. Realizing he didn’t have much time, he carefully rolled out of the hammock, then stood, shaking Scully’s shoulder gently, “Scully? We have to go inside. It’s going to rain in a minute.”

When she didn’t move, he contemplated it, then did it, scooping her and the blanket up much like he had the week earlier but now, he didn’t have the fear of a fiery death hanging over his head so he actually got to enjoy holding her close while he hustled inside, managing the back door without a problem and getting them inside just a fat raindrops began to fall.

Navigating the kitchen with practiced ease, he headed to the stairs, not debating where to go but simply climbing, taking her to her old room and shutting the bedroom door behind him with his foot.

Maggie had woken up as well but by the time she got her bedroom door open to go wake up the sleepers from the back porch, she saw the trailing end of the quilt disappearing into her daughter’s room then the door swinging quietly shut. Watching the empty hall before her light up with another flash of lightning, she turned and closed her own door.

&&&&&&&&&&

Mulder lay her down, somehow, through magical movements and a little bit of physics, managing to get the blanket unwrapped enough to spread it over the top of her, not having been able to pull down the sheets. To his great shock, however, she stood up a moment later, pushing the cover aside, wavering with her eyes still closed as she stripped off her suit pants, stockings and blouse, leaving underwear and dark blue tank top. Huddling immediately back under the blankets as the sound of rain pummeled the windows and lightning streaked across the sky, Mulder waited in silence, attempting to figure out what to do next.

It was one thing to share her bed fully clothed but another to share it when she was barely dressed, warm, inviting skin inches away, the confinement of a twin bed causing his pulse to race.

Did he do this to himself or did he go downstairs to the couch, a safer but decidedly less comfortable option?

It was Scully mumbling something that brought him closer to her, ignoring the couch option for the moment, “what, Scully?”

“Pecans are good in pies.”

That right there, that off-hand remark meaning absolutely nothing, cemented his total devotion to her and he lay down, dropping his jeans in a cotton puddle on the wooden floor, then tossed his sweater on top of that before relaxing beside her, “you don’t like pie though.”

“You like pie.”

“I do like pie.”

Gravitating towards him, he held his arms open to her, letting her pick her spots, “do you like pecans?”

“Yes, I like pecans very much.”

Now her hand snaked under his tshirt, caressing along the bottom edge of his ribcage, the trail of pure fire left behind making him breathe shallow, “I’m gonna make you a pecan pie tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.”

“Also, remind me to finish the laundry. Will needs his uniform for the game.”

Not sure what that was about, he moved his hand to run lightly over her hair, massaging the back of her scalp, “why don’t you go back to sleep, Scully. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“But I like it here by the fire. I can hear the rain and the kids are asleep and I don’t want to move. Can’t we just stay here on the couch?”

Her voice had taken on its sleepy quality, the one with the slurred S’s and the drawn out vowels and in stunning awareness, he knew she was seeing her dream, even as she talked to him.

They had kids.

They had a home with a fireplace.

Their son was named Will and he played some kind of sport.

He had a family, safe and sound and with Scully.

While these quaking revelations shook his brain, Scully shifted to her left side, scooting back against his chest, searching behind her for his hand. Finding it, she pulled it over her shoulder, then tucked his warm fingers under her cheek, “I love you.”

The lone tear that ran to the edge of his nose and dropped silently, rolling along her neck and disappearing into the blanket below, didn’t wake her for which he was truly grateful.

For until she opened her eyes again, invited the real world back to her, he could pretend her dream world was his as well and at that moment, it was the only thing he wanted from life.


End file.
